The renaissance of carbonation It is upon us. Whether it’s the obsession with hard seltzers like White Claw and its endless imitators or “better for you” soft drinks like poppi and olipopPeople crave that crunchy, bubbly sensation in every corner of their palate. I am one of them, simply addicted to bubbles. I try to keep it as healthy as possible by minimizing sugary soft drinks. I mainly like simple soft drinks or sparkling water.
But “healthy,” at least for me, is more than just watching out for sugar in my drinks. Many of these soft drinks contain “forever” chemicals known as PFAS. As seen on Consumer Reports 2020 studyThe amount of carbonated water products with high amounts of PFAS is much higher than that of still water products. Some of these are very popular brands with an ingredient list that shows nothing but carbonated water, so you’ll never know unless you know about PFAS. Blowing bubbles in your own home is a good way to remedy this.
Is it cheaper to make your own soda?
Obviously, bubbling your own water is the more sustainable route than buying countless bottles of the stuff, even if it’s glass; still creates avoidable waste. The main drawback of carbonators is that you need to keep replenishing your CO.2 boats. They typically cost between $17 and $30 each (depending on the brand) for a 60-liter jar, which adds up, so you’re not necessarily saving money. Some brands also have recycling programs where you send the empty can and they replace it with a full one so you don’t just throw away the metal cans. These recycling programs were included in my tests.
Carbonators are a relatively simple technology. Generally, devices only need CO2 source and a means to pump the gas into some water. I tried them first using water filtered through a Zero water filter. I was mainly looking for simplicity and something easy to use that would make a crispy, bubbly product. For the most part, all of these gave me a nice sparkling water. But some of them were a little more complicated to use than others, mainly in terms of inserting the CO canister.2 as well as introducing the bottle. Others were as simple and fluid as possible.
Check out some of our other drink-related guides, including the best non-alcoholic wines, the best energy drinks, the best juicers, and the best nut milk makers.
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